The Southern Tier Offers
Plenty to Explore
— by Christine Smyczynski
N
ew York’s Southern Tier,
with its many small towns,
is a popular destination if
you want to get away from the hustle and
bustle of the city, yet not travel too far
from home. While there are dozens of
interesting places to visit in this region,
I have narrowed it down to five locations
to highlight what would be perfect for
a family day trip, weekend getaway, or
even a week’s vacation.
Findley Lake
The hamlet of Findley Lake (www.
visitfindleylake.com/), about 90 minutes
south of Buffalo, is located in the town
of Mina, the westernmost town in New
York State. I have visited this area sever-
al times, most recently last summer with
my husband, daughter, and youngest son.
The hamlet itself is tiny, yet you could
spend hours here browsing through sev-
eral shops that have items for the entire
family.
My kids especially liked Nostalgia
at the Blue Heron Inn, which has a whole
section of retro and hard-to-find candies.
The shop also has toys, jewelry, apparel,
and Findley Lake themed items. Down
the street, the Secret Cubby of Antiques
was also a hit with my family. Even my
teenage son enjoyed browsing through
the antiques and collectibles.
We stayed a couple nights at Peek
‘n Peak Resort (www.pknpk.com), an
all-season resort located several miles
south of Findley Lake. In addition to
having both indoor and outdoor swim-
ming pools, the resort has an outdoor
adventure course featuring the Soaring
38 WNY Family June 2018 • Summer Go! Guide
Eagle Zipline, which is suitable for all
ages, a Giant Dual Zipline for the more
adventurous, and an Aerial Adventure
Course. They also offer guided Segway
tours, which we enjoyed doing. Guests
can even rent mountain bikes or electric
bikes to use at the resort. There is also
a miniature golf course, for people like
me, as well as an 18-hole championship
course for serious golfers.
Peek ‘n Peak is less than a half hour
from Erie, Pennsylvania, so one evening
we took a ride to indulge in Chick-fil-A
and Krispy Kreme donuts!
Chautauqua Lake Area
The Chautauqua Lake region is also
a 90 minute drive from Buffalo. There is
much to see and do here; you will need
several days to fully appreciate it. In
Mayville you can take a scenic ride on
the Chautauqua Belle (www.269belle.
com), one of only a handful of stern
wheel steamboats in the country.
If you have younger children, you
must check out Midway State Park in
Maple Springs. (www.nysparks.com).
This park, which originally opened in
1898, has a number of old-fashioned
kiddie rides, including a restored Allan
Herschell carousel. Afterwards, check
out nearby Bemus Point, with its lovely
waterfront, quaint shops, and numerous
restaurants.
Prominent in the area is the world-
renowned Chautauqua Institution
(www.chq.org), which offers a nine-
week summer program of arts, music,
lectures, and more. Be aware that they
do charge a daily gate fee for people ages
13 and up; this fee ranges from $17-94/
person, depending on how many hours
you will be there. You may want to plan
to visit on a Sunday, when admission is
free.
Another fun place to visit in the area
is Panama Rocks (www.panamarocks.
com) which is located several miles
southwest of the Chautauqua Institution.
A one mile long hiking trail takes you
through an ancient forest that has rock
formations, crevices, and caves. You
could spend the entire day here if you
choose to go off the main trail and ex-
plore all the different passageways.
Olean
Keeping with the previously men-
tioned theme of hiking among rock for-
mations, one of the main attractions in
the Olean area is Rock City Park (www.
rockcitypark.com), which is one of the
world’s largest known exposures of
quartz conglomerate. The 23-acre park,
about 90 minutes from Buffalo, was once
used by Native Americans as a fortress.
One of the more unique formations in the
park is Balancing Rock, which is a huge
1,000 ton boulder balancing on another.
One of my favorite places to eat
in the Olean area is Sprague’s Maple
Farms (www.spraguesmaplefarms.com)
in nearby Portville. You can enjoy an all-
day breakfast served with their house-
made maple syrup or enjoy lunch and
dinner entrees that include turkey dishes
made from free-range turkeys raised on
the farm. After eating, be sure to browse
through their large gift shop and buy